


Wait and See

by thedeepestdaydream



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon But A Little To The Left, Canon Compliant, M/M, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Sokka Gets Kidnapped by Zuko's Crew AU, like this ship has been left to simmer on medium-low heat
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-18
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-26 18:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30110340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thedeepestdaydream/pseuds/thedeepestdaydream
Summary: Sokka gets himself captured by Zuko and his crew.Zuko discovers that the other boy might not be his ticket to finding the Avatar after all and might just be more trouble than he’s worth. Sokka discovers that there might be more to the prickly fire prince than he originally thought.Iroh’s just glad he finally has a formidable opponent at Pai Sho.
Relationships: Iroh & Sokka (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 10
Kudos: 33





	Wait and See

“Seriously, why do shopping trips always end up going like this,” Sokka complained loudly as he turned sharply to avoid careening headlong into a fruit cart.

“Less grousing, more running!” Katara snapped as she bent water out of a nearby fountain and tossed it haphazardly at the Fire Nation soldiers hot on their trail. Muffled shouts followed by satisfying thuds could be heard as the three soldiers were knocked clean off their feet.

“Look on the bright side, Sokka,” Aang said from where he glided next to them, appearing far too cheerful for a guy running for his life. “At least Zuko isn’t here!”

Just as those words left his mouth, Zuko came sprinting out of a back alley directly ahead of them, cutting them off. They scattered to avoid the fireball aimed at them.

_ “You were saying,” _ Sokka said irritably while he ducked behind an evil-smelling barrel of trash. 

Aang grinned sheepishly from where he huddled behind a pile of crates with Katara, then ducked when another blast of fire got uncomfortably close to his head. Zuko stalked over to them, his arms spread wide as he used one hand to point at Sokka’s hiding spot while the other pointed at Aang and Katara’s. 

“Nowhere left to run, Avatar,” Zuko said in a low voice. 

They all stood frozen, waiting to see who made the first move. Then Zuko suddenly leapt away, agile as an owlcat, from the plume of fire that'd been shot at his back.

“Great work tracking the Avatar, Prince Zuko,” said Zhao with a condescending smirk as he stepped into the alley, “but I’ll take it from here.”

Zuko shot at Zhao with a snarl, and Zhao ducked away from the blast effortlessly. Zhao aimed a fiery kick at Zuko in return which Zuko just managed to catch in his hands. Sokka scuttled frantically backward as Zuko slid dangerously close to Sokka’s hiding place in the process. 

There was a sudden shadow in the sky as Appa, in all his fluffy glory, came soaring into view. Aang leapt into the sky with his glider, Katara’s arms firmly around his neck, and shot up towards Appa. Sokka’s heart stuttered as Zhao aimed a blast of fire at them, but Zuko threw off his aim by sweeping at Zhao’s feet. They kept getting in each other’s way, giving Aang and Katara enough time to get safely on Appa’s back. 

Zhao and Zuko immediately turned their attention to Appa once he started getting away, both firing at the bison viciously. Appa evaded them, just barely, but he couldn’t stay this close for long.

Which left Sokka in a bit of a predicament. He couldn’t cross the alley to get closer to Appa lest he get flame-broiled by the firebenders in his way. He’d have to find another way. He turned tail and ran in the opposite direction, hoping to find a place Appa could pick him up that was less on fire.

As usual, however, the Spirits seemed to be laughing at him. He got a few feet at most before he ran into a solid wall of Fire Nation soldiers. Whether they were Zhao’s or Zuko’s men, he couldn’t tell. All he knew was that they grabbed him and pinned him to the wall with his hands behind his back. 

“Hey, easy on the goods,” he couldn’t help but grunt, his face mashed into the wall. They slapped what had to be manacles to his wrists and hauled him away. He struggled valiantly and even attempted to stomp on the foot of the soldier on his right, but all he got out of it was a smarting foot. (What were Fire Nation boots made out of,  _ lead?) _

They marched him through the labyrinth of alleys and brought him to the dock. He cast his eyes upward, frantically trying to spot Appa but the clouds, which had been threatening rain all day, were too dark to see through. They rumbled ominously, the first patter of rain falling on Sokka’s cheek.

He was shoved roughly towards the two Fire Nation ships docked at the port, one conspicuously larger than the other. The ramp lowered on the smaller ship as they approached and he was led none too gently into the ship’s belly. 

It looked like Zuko’s crew it was, then.

***

Zuko ran down another alley, one eye on the bison overhead and another on Zhao at his back. He swerved out of the way of a stream of fire aimed at his back and kept running, determined not to lose sight of the Avatar now that he’d finally found him.

Zuko had been tracking him for weeks after releasing him from the Pohuai Stronghold, getting a tip that the Avatar had stopped a volcano in Makapu Village and was now headed north. Zuko finally managed to catch up with the Avatar in this nameless little village while he was restocking supplies. 

He emerged from the alleyways and turned to see Zhao and his men come streaming out as well. Around them, fishmongers and random villagers fled in fear but Zuko ignored them. He cast his eyes to the sky at the roiling clouds, growling when the sky bison was no longer in sight. 

“There’s nowhere left to run, Prince Zuko,” Zhao said silkily, his men fanning out behind him.

“I don’t have time for this,” Zuko snapped impatiently, fists clenched at his sides.

Zuko felt more than saw Uncle’s familiar presence step up next to him. He had his hands tucked in his sleeves and looked alarmingly at ease for a man surrounded seven to one. “Admiral Zhao, I fear that a storm is shortly upon us. Perhaps it would be best if we reconvene and settle this at a later date.”

They stared each other down for a long moment, Zhao scowling and Iroh smiling genially. Zhao was the first to look away, turning sharply and striding towards his ship. “You’re not worth my time. I have an Avatar to pursue.”

“Such an understanding man,” Iroh said good-naturedly as Zuko stalked past him and towards the  _ Wani _ . The sky chose that moment to suddenly open up and drench them all in an instant.

_ “Back to the ship,” _ Zuko barked at his men, voice barely carrying through the sound of the driving rain and rumbles of thunder _. “I want that bison found!” _

They made it aboard and into the command tower when Lieutenant Jee came to stand at attention in front of Zuko. “Sir, I have something to report.”

“What is it, Lieutenant.”

“We managed to capture one of the Avatar’s companions. We’re holding him in one of the living quarters.”

“Take me to him,” Zuko said briskly, making his way towards the exit before pausing at the door and muttering over his shoulder, “Oh, and Lieutenant? Good work.”

“Thank you, sir,” the Lieutenant said, and Zuko duly ignored the slight smile on the man’s face and the proud gleam in Iroh’s eyes. 

***

Sokka was currently being held captive by Prince Jerkbender, he had no idea where Aang and Katara were or if they were safe, and to top it all off, his hands were manacled behind his back and he  _ really  _ needed to scratch his nose.

This was the worst. 

The room Sokka found himself in was sparse; A single bunk was bolted to the wall opposite the door, a wooden trunk at the foot of it, and a chamberpot in the corner of the room. The room was made of solid metal from floor to ceiling, the drab gray only broken by tacky red tapestries emblazoned with the Fire Nation insignia.

He sat on the bunk, the thin mattress just barely better than sitting on solid metal, and tried to come up with a plan. 

He obviously had to find a way to escape this room, but then what? He was stuck out at sea with a ship full of angry firebenders with no idea where he was or where to go. How was he gonna get off the ship? He very well couldn’t swim back to shore and he had no idea if this ship had lifeboats or where they were kept. 

His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the door swinging open suddenly. Zuko strode in, back rigid and golden eyes sharp. The old man who followed him around trailed in behind him, smiling serenely at Sokka like he wasn’t looking at someone they were holding captive. 

“Where’s the Avatar heading,” Zuko snapped without preamble, less a question and more a demand. Sokka couldn’t help but sag a little in relief at that. If Zuko was asking, then it meant Aang and Katara had gotten away.

“Answer me, peasant,” Zuko barked, taking a threatening step forward.

“First of all, the name’s Sokka,” Sokka retorted, glaring back unflinchingly. “and second of all, why would I tell you anything?” If he had use of his hands, he would’ve made a rude gesture in Zuko’s face. (He contented himself with making the gesture behind his back anyway.)

Zuko growled and took another step forward, but the old man held him back. “We apologize for the poor hospitality, young Sokka. We’ll be sure to let you off at the next port. Until then, you will be considered an honored guest.”

_ “But Uncle—!” _

“Now,” Zuko’s uncle goes on amiably, “why don’t we release this young man’s wrists? I know from experience that the position he’s in is terribly uncomfortable.”

There’s a tense moment where the guards look at each other before doing as they’re told. Sokka rubbed at his sore wrists and eyed the old man suspiciously. What was his game here?

Zuko, for his part, looked livid. “Uncle, why would you—”

“Dinner will be brought up shortly. I hope you like eel, it’s unagi don night,” Zuko’s uncle said to Sokka brightly before turning to Zuko. “Come, Nephew, I must show you the delightful hat I found in the market today. And for such a bargain, too!”

Zuko shot Sokka one last venomous glare before stalking out after his uncle, literally spitting fire in his anger. 

Sokka stared after them, dumbfounded. What just happened?

***

“Uncle, that boy could be the best chance I have to find the Avatar’s whereabouts,” Zuko seethed, pacing the length of Iroh’s cabin. “Why would we just  _ let him go?” _

“Nephew,” Iroh said calmly, “there is no honor in keeping that young man hostage. Plus, he had no reason to tell us his friend’s whereabouts.”

“We could make him,” Zuko said, but regretted it the moment he saw the look on Iroh’s face. 

“There is a right and wrong way of going about things,” Iroh went on solemnly, “I’ve done my best to impart that upon you and to allow you to find your own way. But in this, I will not waver. Keeping that boy captive is wrong, Prince Zuko, and I hope you can see that.”

Zuko crossed his arms and fumed, his thoughts in turmoil. This was the closest thing to good luck that has happened to Zuko since he left Caldera at thirteen, and now he was expected to just throw this chance away! Even still, his uncle’s words resonated in his head.  _ There is no honor in keeping that young man hostage.  _

Azula and his father would beg to differ. If they were in Zuko’s place, they wouldn’t hesitate to interrogate the peasant using any means necessary to get what they wanted. If Zuko were more like them, he wouldn’t hesitate to do that, but Zuko had never been like them. He’d always been too cowardly, too weak to do what was necessary. Even now, the idea of forcibly obtaining the information he wanted out of the other boy left a foul taste in his mouth. 

He gritted his teeth, blunt nails digging into his arm. Once again, he wasn’t brave enough to do what needed to be done. 

“I’m glad to have such an understanding nephew,” Iroh said, eyes twinkling. “Now, be sure to eat. A man needs his energy.”

Zuko held out for another moment longer, fuming, before sitting on the cushion directly across from his uncle at his uncle’s little table with an explosive sigh. He scowled down at his bowl of food, picking up his chopsticks irritably. “I hate eel.”

***

Jee was a lot of things: a loyal Lieutenant, a capable firebender, a talented singer, and a rather accomplished pipa player. One thing he was not, however, was a Spirits-fearing man. He liked to think that he’d gotten this far by his own grit and determination, that any downfall was his own doing and his own to resolve. He wasn’t one to ask the Spirits for anything.

As he looked upon the wave coming towards them, a towering solid wall, Jee realized that there was always room to change.

“Spirits help us,” Jee murmured right before the wave hit them like a charging komodo-rhino.

***

“What’s happened,” Zuko demanded urgently as he braced his hands against the doorframe of the command tower, the deck below him swaying so forcefully it was like it was trying to buck him off. 

“We were hit by a massive wave, sir,” Navigator Yu shouted. “At least one of the engines blew in the collision, but it’s hard to know for sure until we get out of danger!”

“Then head for the eye and we’ll wait it out like before,” Zuko ordered. 

“I’ll do my best sir, but she’s being temperamental,” Yu replied, gritting his teeth as he fought with the wheel for control. “I think the rudder might’ve been damaged!”

Zuko opened his mouth to bark out an order, but his jaw kept falling in shock as another wave crested over them, at least twice their size. Zuko stumbled over to the wheel at the same moment as Lieutenant Jee, and together they helped Yu jerk it hard to the right. The wave crashed down at that moment, missing them by a hair’s breadth and rocking the whole ship so violently that several people were knocked off their feet. 

_ “I want every available engine at full throttle towards the eye of the storm,” _ Zuko roared over the sound of the pounding waves, hands still holding the wheel in a white-knuckled grip.  _ “Do I make myself clear?” _

“Crystal, sir,” Navigator Yu said just as Lieutenant Jee repeated Zuko’s orders down to the crew in the boiler room. There was a frenzy of activity as men unsteadily got back on their feet and hurried to follow Zuko’s orders. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, they made their way towards the break in the clouds they could see in the distance. When they finally made it, it was as if the  _ Wani  _ herself breathed a sigh of relief, the metal groaning plaintively.

Zuko panted, legs trembling with adrenaline as he walked over to the window to see thick, black smoke billowing out of the  _ Wani’s  _ engines.

The silence was broken by Iroh appearing in the doorway, smoothing his disheveled hair and rumpled clothes with a chuckle. “My, that was bracing!”

**Author's Note:**

> And there you have it! I'll endeavor to post as regularly as I can. This isn't beta-read so any mistakes are my own. 
> 
> Please validate me- uh, I mean let me know what you think! 😊


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